Coaster Critique: Hoponius Union

My friend Norm from the Beer Nut blog and author of Beer Lovers New England brought some of this up for me from Massachusetts when he was in Portland for a book signing at the Rising Tide Brewery. I’m a huge fan of IPA’s (India Pale Ale) so when I heard about this IPL (India Pale Lager) I had to try it.

Hoponius Union pours a hazy yellow with golden highlights and a short off white head that falls quickly but leaves lacing down the glass.

Smell is very hop forward, nice and citrusy; I’m picking up grapefruit, lemon zest and pineapple with just a hint of pine. Behind the hops I’m getting a yeasty, baked bread aroma. This beer smells excellent.

Taste is hops forward, a resinous piney flavor followed by a splash of grapefruit citrus. The bitterness is very nice, more of a tingling on your tongue than a smack in the mouth kind of bitter. The malts are dominated by the hops but there is a caramel sweetness that comes through. Hoponius Union is medium bodied with a steady carbonation and finished dry with a light bitterness.

Overall Hoponius Union impressed me, I generally prefer an ale to a lager but these Jacks Abbey guys might just change that. This beer was everything I look for in an IPA with the clean and crisp finish I expect from a lager. If you can get your hands on a bottle it’s worth checking out.